A quick update!

So, as promised here is a little update on my journey towards no medication!

It has been a month since I started to reduce my medication and currently we are going well. The first few days I definitely noticed a difference and felt more anxious than I have done in a long time. It was a stressful time at work too so I am not 100% that not taking my pills was the ultimate cause but I did notice a difference and for the first few weeks I would say I was a little lower than I have been.

I started by reducing to 1 pill every other day and followed this plan for 2 weeks. I have now moved to 1 every 3 days and I will continue to go down week by week until I am no longer taking them.

When I spoke to the doctor about coming off of the tablets she suggested 1 every other day for 2 weeks and then stop, but over the past 3 years I have really gotten to know myself and how I am feeling and I didn’t want to rush coming off them. I wanted to feel confident doing it and make sure it was the right decision which is why I am going slowly and not putting myself under too much pressure too soon.

I spoke to a few fellow suffers before I started to reduce my medication as I wanted to hear from peers rather than just the drs and this was something they all advised. As with everything in mental health recovery the key is time! You don’t get there quickly so you need to give yourself, your mind and your body time to adjust.

Something that I have struggled with is the elements of life vs feeling poorly again. Everyone gets stressed or into situations that upset them but I have been trying to keep my rational head on during these times and remind myself that this is just life stress and not poorly symptoms. I would know the difference usually but as I don’t have my medication to clearly define this anymore I need to be more aware of it myself.

It is easy to forget that everyone gets sad and anxious sometimes and this is normal, so I am trying hard to keep that balance and not overreact to situations and ending up throwing myself into worrying that I am poorly again.

That said, overall I am doing well with the medication reduction and it look like I will be going into the autumn free from pills!